Banks are increasing their crackdown on staff using work mobiles and email on holiday. It’s partly to prevent banker burnout and partly because compliance departments think illicit activity is more likely to come to light if the staff member isn’t around to cover it up.

Bankers banned from using BlackBerrys on holiday

Most banks now force many staff to take extended periods of leave, although guidelines on out-of-office working vary. At Barclays, staff are able to read emails while away, but are barred from receiving or responding to calls. At Deutsche Bank, staff may monitor emails but are not allowed to conduct business or influence transactions via email.

A corporate client of another bank said last week that he had received a call explaining why a junior banker working on a deal for the company was out of reach. The reason: he was on holiday and was not allowed to use his phone.